A review by nmcannon
The Return of the Sorceress by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s The Return of the Sorceress is an itty bitty novella from Subterranean Press. It was a bloody treat.

Yalxi clawed her way to the top of the Aztec Empire, and the betrayal, and fall after, was painful. After she dusts herself off, she seeks the Diamond Heart, a McGuffin that will power her revenge. The problem with long journeys, however, is they leave a villainess plenty of time to think about her past. 

The Return’s setting feels similar to the world of Certain Dark Things, but centuries earlier and in an Aztec Empire full of blood mages. The world-building was too much for me to absorb through listening, so I switched to a small hardback copy. I’m glad I did. Moreno-Garcia’s tale is beautiful, fun, and poignant, with musings on betrayal, grief, aging, and re-setting one’s path to atonement. I heartily recommend it to swords-and-sorcery fans looking for a feminist adventure.